Teenager Abel McLinden has expressed his gratitude to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Sports and Exercise Medicine Service (SEMS) after they kept him on track for the trip of a lifetime.

Abel, aged 18 and a keen athlete, was due to head out to the Ladakh region in the Himalayas of Northern India for a British Exploring Society expedition in July but for the previous two years had been suffering from pain in his legs when running.

A regular triathlon competitor for the Birmingham Running Athletics and Triathlon (BRAT) Club, his gruelling training regime had seen the discomfort progressively worsen.

When two months rest prescribed by his GP failed to solve the problem, Abel was referred to the SEMS team at QEHB, who quickly got to work exploring his problem.

“I can’t thank the SEMS team enough,” said Abel. “Getting referred to them was a real boost.

“With respect to GPs, they are not experts in sports medicine and it was refreshing to be able to talk to people who got it,” he said.

“They understood that just being told to rest was not an option for someone who wanted to carry on running, cycling and climbing.”

An MRI scan and x-ray before Abel’s expedition highlighted bone marrow oedema and a possible stress fracture as the potential causes of his issues. A CT scan was ordered for further clarification but could not be organised before the India trip.

The SEMS team clinically cleared him to travel, however, advising regular checks from expedition medics and providing a Aircast walker boot for use if his pain flared up. He was advised not to run or cycle in the meantime.

“It was great to be able to go to India with some reassurance,” said Abel. “The trip was fantastic. We were able to climb some unclimbed peaks and did some glacial research - but it was really just a great chance to savour the local culture and great for personal development.”

On his return to his home in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, Abel had the CT scan which, thankfully, revealed no underlying bone problem.

Physiotherapist’s, podiatrist’s and dieticians got to work to get him running and cycling again.

“I did a lot of conditioning work with physio Mark Liptrot on exercises to build up my lower leg strength, placing less stress on the bones,” he said.

“I was also told that I was not eating enough for the amount of exercise I was doing so I had to increase my protein intake to help my body cope.

“I’m getting back to my usual training and exercise levels and the SEMS team have showed a real ‘can do’ attitude in all that they’ve done for me.”

Consultant physiotherapist Emma Batchelor, who supervised Abel’s treatment, said: “Abel’s care and presentation relied on a collaborative approach utilising all members of the SEMS multi-disciplinary team.

“We aim to support our patients to enable them to reach their goals by balancing risk against enjoyment.

“The opportunity to climb in the Himalayas for most is a once in a lifetime experience. We recognised Abel had invested a lot of time in this expedition already and we are delighted he had a successful trip.”

For more information about the SEMS go totheir pages on the UHB website (see below).